OL97: Outlook Rules Wizard Troubleshooting

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SUMMARY

The Outlook Rules Wizard is a message manager add-in, available for Microsoft Outlook 97. This article answers some of the more common questions associated with the Rules Wizard.

MORE INFORMATION

1. Why does the Rules Wizard keep asking me to specify a value?

   Many steps in defining a rule ask you to specify a condition, action, Exception, or value. For example, if you want to move a message to a specific folder, you must specify a folder name. To specify a value, click the underlined text in the Rule Description window of the Rules Wizard dialog box. You can set an initial value and change it later in the Rules Wizard steps.

2. Why doesn't the rule I created work?

   If you specified multiple conditions for the rule, the message must meet all conditions before the rule is applied. For example, a rule that checks for "Salary in the subject and marked as private" is only applied if BOTH conditions are met. If you want the rule applied if the message meets EITHER condition, you must define two separate rules.

   If you want to move or copy a message to a specified folder make sure the folder exists and is available. For example, if you want to copy messages between folders on your computer and the server, the computer must be online to the server for the rule to work.

   If you specified any exceptions to the rule you created, make sure those exceptions do not apply to this message.

3. When I choose "perform a custom action" in the Rules Wizard, why is the "Select Custom Action" dialog box empty?

   Custom actions are additional features supplied by third-party add-ins. Outlook supplies no custom actions.

4. Why doesn't the "New Messages of Interest" dialog appear when a qualifying message arrives?

   You may already have the "New Message of Interest" dialog open in the background. Only one instance of the dialog can be displayed. Switch to the open dialog and close it.

5. How do I create a rule with an "Or" condition?

   The Rules Wizard does not support rules with "Or" conditions, such as "Move messages sent to me OR messages sent to my delegate to a folder." You must create two separate rules, such as "Move messages sent to me to a folder" and "Move messages sent to my delegate to a folder."

   To create "Exclusive Or" conditions you must create two rules and each must exclude the condition of the other. For example, to check for messages that contain "either A or B in the subject but not both," create one rule that checks for "A in the subject except if the subject contains B." Then create another that checks for "B in the subject except if the subject contains A."

6. How can I change back to Outlook's old Inbox Assistant? Follow these steps:

   a. On Tools menu, click Options and then click the General tab.

   b. Click Add-In Manager.

   c. Click Rules Wizard to clear it and click OK, and OK.

   d. On the Tools menu, click Inbox Assistant.

   e. Reselect your Inbox Assistant rules by clicking each one.

   f. Click OK.

REFERENCES

For more information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID:  Q169819
   TITLE     :  OL97: Creating a From Rule for an Internet Mail Address

   ARTICLE-ID:  Q168727
   TITLE     :  OL97: Cannot Create a Conditional Rule with the Rules
                Wizard

   ARTICLE-ID:  Q165794
   TITLE     :  OL97: Unable to Save Rules After Installing Rules Wizard

   http://www.microsoft.com/OfficeFreeStuff/Outlook/